Over 30 years ago Michael Hall, a molecular biologist at the University of Basel, made a groundbreaking discovery of the gene Target of Rapamycin, or TOR, that proved critical to the development of many cancer drugs. Today his seminal work is fuelling one of the fastest growing, and potentially lucrative, areas of healthcare research – longevity. Michael Hall is a virtual unknown in today’s social media-inflated longevity scene. He hasn’t published any books on why we age or been featured in any films on the secrets of centenarians. He doesn’t have a side business selling supplements or spout the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen or redlight therapy – treatments found in many of today’s longevity clinics. The soft-spoken 71-year-old, who bears a striking resemblance to American actor Robert DeNiro, credits his own health and vitality to the basics: “exercise, a good diet, social interactions, and possibly good genes,” he told SWI swissinfo.ch during a visit to his office in Basel. Why ...
